Player Duels: Dwight Yorke Vs Andy Cole

Player Duels is back again! This is the fourth installment of this series in which I compare two players and ask all readers to leave a comment and vote who you think was the better player. You can find links to the other three at the bottom of this page, where voting is still open.

Well, today's Duel breaks up one of the best striking partnerships the Premier League has ever seen: Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole.

Together they were nigh-on unstoppable. They seemed to have a telepathic link that made each other know exactly what the other was doing. This partnership helped Man Utd to a historic treble. But who was better—Yorke or Cole?

I'll start by looking at Dwight Yorke.

"The Smiling Assassin" as he was known due to that seemingly permanent grin etched across his face, Yorke was one of the Premier League's top strikers for a good six years. He started off at Aston Villa, where he became a cult-hero, before Manchester United bought him.

At Villa, he managed 73 goals in 232 appearances which, considering he played as a right-winger for about seven of his eleven years there, is not a bad total. When he moved to United, he scored 47 goals in 95 appearances.

Overall, his career tally is 147 goals in 451 games, which he could still add too with Sunderland. He has also scored 16 goals in 59 appearances for Trinidad and Tobago, and is considered something of a legend there. His 123 Premier League goals puts him ninth in the all-time scorers list.

Andy Cole

Andy Cole has had more clubs than I have had hot dinners. However, while he may have travelled a fair bit during the latter stages of his career, in his prime, Cole was one of the top dogs in the league.

He first came to mass public attention for his goal-scoring escapades at Newcastle, before swapping the black and white stripes of the Magpies for the red of Man United.

At Newcastle he scored an impressive 55 goals in 70 games, and he carried on the goals at Old Trafford, netting 93 goals in 195 appearances. With 187 EPL goals to his name he is the second highest scorer in the competions history, with only Alan Shearer scoring more.

His overall career tally is 229 goals in 499 appearances, and he could still add to that as he now plays for Nottingham Forest. He holds the rare distinction of having won every single honour in the English game.

So, ladies and gentlemen, who is your pick? Dwight Yorke or Andy Cole? Remember anyone can vote, just leave a comment saying who you have picked.

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